Machine to machine (M2M) network communications involve technologies to communicate with other devices often of similar abilities, different from traditional cellular communication networks for instance. In basic M2M environments, a device having limited logic (such as a sensor, meter, etc.) is resident at a location to typically capture measurable event data (such as temperature, pressure, quantity, etc.). The device is connected through a communications network to a remote computer or server having an application layer of specific software. The data received from the device is converted to relevant information associated with the measured event data through the application and may often thereafter undergo analysis or further similar assessment. In many cases a device, when activated, may trigger and communicate the events it is intended for so that those communicated events will then be acted upon by other machines, applications, and/or users on the network.
M2M environments often involve systems of networks, wired and wireless, that are to be connected to the internet and include personal appliances and similar devices. In M2M networks, typically devices maybe stationary or mobile and be connected via wired or wireless access protocols, often through WiFi network protocols or a 3GPP Mobile network protocol. These devices may also have seasonal and/or elastic connectivity needs (e.g., agricultural business needs, store and forward capability). Often in busy M2M networks, there is an ‘always on’ device being used such as a general packet radio services (GPRS) or internet gateway. However, M2M communication infrastructure remains most suited to the communication needs and patterns of devices having similar abilities, characteristically, for communicating with other systems and devices on the same network.
FIG. 1A depicts a basic M2M communication network 100 having typical sensor-type devices 120, 130 and 140. In FIG. 1A, the M2M network 100 has a central communication gateway 110 in which communications from devices 120, 130 and 140 are linked with a service provider network 150. The linkage may be wired or wireless, and is depicted as the security camera 120 and the water alarm sensor 130 in wireless communication with the gateway 110. Similarly, the traffic camera sensor 140 is in wired communication with the gateway, though one will appreciate that there are many variations to the type and protocol of communication for FIG. 1A.
From FIG. 1A, data sensed and obtained by the devices is transmitted across the M2M network to the service provider network 150 where the data may be shared as raw data or converted to information, often through software applications. Notification equipment 160 wirelessly receives the data from the service provider network 150 and acts in accordance with the received data for the specific event. For instance where the notification equipment is an alert system to send a text to a building owner in the event of a water leak, and the water sensor has sent data indicating a water leak, the notification equipment will then trigger an event to notify the building owner. Similarly, from FIG. 1A, where the user 170 receives a suite of rolling historical data as to traffic camera operation cycles, the user may then act accordingly based on the received cumulative information.
Devices suitable for use with M2M networks often may have multiple access point names (APNs) available for implementation. The APN is the name of a gateway between a GPRS (or 3G, etc.) mobile network and another computer network, which may often be the public Internet for instance. It will be appreciated that APNs are often used in 3GPP data access networks, e.g. general packet radio service (GPRS), evolved packet core (EPC), etc. FIG. 1B sets forth a typical APN format 190 having a network identifier portion (191) and an operator identifier portion (192).
For example, in order for a device to obtain a viable data connection with a carrier, an APN must be configured to present to the carrier. In operation, the carrier will then examine this presented identifier to determine what type of network connection should be created. A carrier may determine in one or more instances for example what IP addresses may be assigned to the device, what security associations should be utilized, etc. Other configurations for an APN for utilization of services may be aligned such as with email, web surfing, custom services, banking services, etc., where each service has its associated APN.
Additionally, the APN identifies the packet data network (PDN), that a mobile data user wants to communicate with. In addition to identifying a PDN, an APN may also be used to define the type of service, (e.g. connection to a wireless application protocol (WAP) server, multimedia messaging service (MMS)), that is provided by the PDN. Often in Long Term Evolution (LTE)/Evolution Packet Systems (EPS) and 2G/3G packet data in general, PDN access service is offered with a fixed number of APNs (typically one) where there is no difference in the offered APNs other than the differing PDN endpoint. For example, LTE is a 4G technology.
FIG. 2 sets forth a typical LTE/EPS architecture 200 for a M2M network. From FIG. 2, User equipment (UE) functions include devices 210 and similar. UE functions include a universal subscriber identity module holding authentication information, provide for supporting LTE uplink and downlink air interface and monitoring radios and conveys performance to the evolved node B (eNB) channel quality indicator—220, 224. The Radio Access Network (RAN) portion includes eNBs 220, 224 and communication with the mobility management entity (MME) function 228.
The eNB functions include radio resource management, radio bearer control, radio admission control, connection mobility control and uplink/downlink scheduling, for example. MME selection is also preferably performed by the eNB functions.
The MME functions 228 include non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, NAS signaling security, signaling for mobility between 3GPP access networks (S3), PDN gateway and serving gateway selection, roaming to home subscriber (HSS) 230, bearer management functions, authentication, etc. The HSS is linked with the MME where the HSS provides for storage of subscriber data, roaming restrictions list, accessible access point names (APNs), subscriber data management, and similar.
Communication from the MME 228 to the serving gateway (S-GW) 232 occurs across the core portion of the network as depicted in FIG. 2, where the S-GW provides for local mobility anchor inter eNB handover (such as from eNB 224), packet routing/forwarding, transport level packet uplinking and downlinking, accounting on user and QoS class identifier granularity for inter-operator charging, uplink and downlink charging per UE, packet data node and QoS class identifier, etc.
Communication between the S-GW and PDN Gateway (P-GW) 234 occurs as depicted in FIG. 2 where the P-GW provides for a PDN gateway, per-user packet filtering, UE internet protocol (IP) address allocation, transport level packet marking for downlinking, uplink/downlink service level charging and rate enforcement, etc. The P-GW communicates with the Public Data Network 248, where for providing data transmission services. The P-GW also communicates with the Policy and charging rules function (PCRF) 236.
The PCRF provides for interfaces and application functions such as proxy-call session control function (P-CSCF), interfaces with the PDN gateway to convey policy decisions to it, treatment of services in the PDN gateway in accordance with a user subscription policy, and similar. The PCRF communicates such information with the applications portions of the network including an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 240 and through applications 242.
FIG. 3 sets forth an exemplary bearer architecture 300 showing logic relationships across a EUTRAN to EPC to PDN. The EUTRAN is also known as an e-UTRA, being the air interface of 3GPP's Long LTE upgrade path for mobile networks (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network). From FIG. 3, the EPS bearer is an end-to-end tunnel defined to a specific QoS at 360, where the tunnel traverses UE 310, eNB 320, S-GW 330, P-GW 340 and Peer entity 350. Planes between logic functions such as S1, being a user plane between the eNB and serving gateways, are provided for in FIG. 3 as LTE-UU, S1, S5-S8 (Signaling interfaces), and SGi (interface into the IP PDN). Similarly, the bearer architecture provides for an EPS bearer 362 which has four parameters including a QoS class identifier, allocation and retention policy (ARP), guaranteed bit rate or max bit rate (MBR), and aggregate maximum bit rate (AMBR). An external bearer not having a MBR is provided for at 364. A radio access bearer (E-RAB) 370, S5-S8 bearer 372 and radio bearer 374 are also logically depicted in FIG. 3.
From FIG. 3, logically, each EPS bearer context represents an EPS bearer between the UE and a PDN. EPS bearer contexts can remain activated even if the radio and S1 bearers 376 constituting the corresponding EPS bearers between UE and MME are temporarily released. An EPS bearer context can be either a default bearer context or a dedicated bearer context. A default EPS bearer context is activated when the UE requests a connection to a PDN. The first default EPS bearer context, is activated during the EPS attach procedure. Additionally, the network can activate one or several dedicated EPS bearer contexts in parallel
As will be appreciated from FIG. 3, in LTE/EPS networks, one or more bearers are established between the UE and network (EPC) to provide the UE with ready-to-use IP connectivity to the PDN. Typically a bearer is associated with specific QoS, for example, between the UE and the EPC. While the EPS bearer management procedures are defined in 3GPP specifications and references, these procedures are often specifically and purposefully allocated to perform certain unique tasks or communications.
Using the procedures described in the 3GPP specifications prescriptively provides for procedural compliance, such as those of EPS bearer modifications; however, as a result it is possible to inadvertently overload other system constraints I so doing or not achieve objectives needed by a user in other means. For instance, the EPS nearer modifications is a well-known procedure which can be used to deliver M2M control data where a device may be customized by application logic to recognize special application payloads via the procedure. Similarly, the device can transmit special data to the network using the same procedure. Unfortunately, the payload for such is generally small, and as a result the assigned default APN, which provides for guaranteed bit rates (MBRs), may become overloaded where the user's ability to web surf, use email and similar is constrained.
Therefore, what is desired is an approach to intelligently allocate and assign a first APN used in the M2M network which is utilized to provide a M2M control message, to provide satisfactory service levels to a user of the network without overburdening the subscribed APN.
As used herein the terms device, appliance, terminal, remote device, wireless asset, etc. are intended to be inclusive, interchangeable, and/or synonymous with one another and other similar communication-based equipment for purposes of the present invention though one will recognize that functionally each may have unique characteristics, functions and/or operations which may be specific to its individual capabilities and/or deployment.
As used herein the term M2M communication is understood to include methods of utilizing various connected computing devices, servers, clusters of servers, wired and/or wirelessly, which provide a networked infrastructure to deliver computing, processing and storage capacity as services where a user typically accesses applications through a connected means such as but not limited to a web browser, terminal, mobile application (i.e., app) or similar while the primary software and data are stored on servers or locations apart from the devices.